Jon-Ryo

I am a huge sonic fan, have been since the master system, and having recently got sonic CD (from xbla arcade and loved it!!) I was optimistic about this game, I had played the demo and really enjoyed the 2D stages. Having played this game through to completion though I can say that it is overall uninspired and a real missed oppourtunity for some new 2D sonic creativity. While the levels remain fun and engaging (for the most part) the problem comes with the way they set up the unlock system, you are just running through certain parts of the same level continuosly to unlock special items. At first they are a nice touch but then you realise they're only there to prolong the longevity **** that in all fairness (2D and 3D stages) could easily be completed in a weekend if you did'nt do the challenges. The game in itself is not a bad game, but the fact that they have re-hashed old bosses (there is only one 2D level boss in the whole game!!) and the ones they've added themselves are very uninspired, the final boss fight is infuriating, boring and just not a fun end to the game. Best part of this game for me was the 2D levels, they are beautifully realised, and original sonic controls well, 3D levels are good if somewhat awkward to control at the top speeds, but I've always preferred the 2D sonics. Having bought this game new at a bargain price of 14.99 I was very glad I didn't buy it for full price when it was first released, I would have been very annoyed. Ok so overall the game does a nice job of fan service with great unlockables, such as concept art, music and the like, it's just a shame in the tedious way you have to go about unlocking them. 2D levels are a blast, 3D are above average but not say on the level of a 3D mario. Boss fights for me were a total let down, I really feel they were a missed oppurtunity to create more ORIGINAL and ENJOYABLE, challenging yet fair duels between sonic and his rivals. Oh and you can unlock sonic 1 from the megadrive (more good fan service). So for me this game wasn't a total let down, sega gave a great fan service with the game but I just can't bring myself to give it above a 6 I want to give it at least a 7 but the overall game is not deserving of it, if you're thinking about getting this game and you haven't played sonic CD, I recommend picking that up instead on XBLA for just 400MS points it's a real gem at a bargain price!!

A great XBLA game, had been wishing for this to come out there as I never got a chance the first time round, finally playing it, it was a breath of fresh air to finally play a good old school sonic again. Special stages are unique, travelling through time is cool and the level design for the most part is on par with the other sonics if not surpassing it in some places. This is the pinnacle of Sonic and a masterpiece, loads to unlock a time and score trial leaderboard for each level and the game to compare times to rest of the world, the japanese and american soundtracks both fully included all bundled up in a package amazingly valued at just 400 MS points!! Do yourself a favour and pick this up!!

This game tried to be over the top and lost sight of what made the 2nd one great, which was that the wiriting had a serious tone with some funny moments, but ultimately you were a hardened street gangster and the story kept in line with that with moments of death, revenge, losing gang members etc but never taking the feel of the game out of the context it was set in. Whereas this (the 3rd) disregards the fact the saints are supposed to be a hardcore street gang instead setting them as famed celebrities first and a gang second. The game loses it's gritty appeal by doing this, the missions force you to do some of the 'activities' that were in the other one as filler to the main quest line (which is annoying). Following the story ultimately it doesn't evoke any type of feeling in the gamer as the writers are made to go for over the top stunts and gags that get old real quick. The saving grace is that the two player online co-op for the whole game is back and is still enjoyable. Overall I'd recommend saints row 2 over this one especially to play with a friend, it has a better story, better activities (which are optional) and is overall a better game.

The Best PES this gen, a great game and konami back on track a serious contender to rival the competition. A great game, has it's quirks but is the best PES game in years, if you love football you'll love this game.

Where did it go wrong for this series?? Somewhere after soul calibur 2 I believe, since then this series has lost its way, towers of the lost souls is nothing compared to the old storymode in soul calibur 2, was very disappointing. Despite the disappointments, this is still a very good fighting game although not good enough to keep me from selling it, a sad day for a series which on the dreamcast and xbox gave myself and my friends hours of entertainment.

One of the best games on XBLA PERIOD. Easy to learn, fun to play and difficult to master. Challenging difficulty levels, different tournaments, online leaderboards and a track editor/creator make this a must buy for all xbox360 owners.

I loved the old burnout series but then Criterion decided to go and make a need for speed clone instead of create another burnout 3 style game. The game in itself is not a bad game but they ruined the series for me taking it in this direction, hence the score from a disappointed former fan of the series.

Seriously over hyped, the gameplay quickly becomes repetitive and the story is not good enough to keep the player grinding on through the missions which all amount to the same thing and get boring very quickly. The problem is trying to be an assassin in daylight (mostly), you can climb like the prince of persia but things become fiddley in combat. At first I enjoyed this game but I got bored of it quickly, I feel it is very overrated with an over emphasis on being able to explore the world and climb everywhere etc which in effect is what prince of persia was but in my opinion prince of persia on the PS2 was a better game than this.

Smart, Atmospheric, Instantly recognisable, Iconic, just some of the words I'd use to describe this game, the story is actually for me, the best part of the game, it has a mature theme througout and it draws you in and throws in twists and rhetoric questions that question the very nature of gaming. The gameplay is a mix of First person shooter with a few RPG style elements in the powers you can access and upgrade. Bioshock is a great game with a great story that really involves the gamer, Highly recommended.

If you ever played Mario, Sonic, Mega man or any of the sega/nintendo machine classic platformers, you will love this game. It's a throw back to those retro classics, with multiple nods to the past games that obviously inspired it. The cut scenes are charmingly funny with a little bit of an edge. Possibly the best platform game this gen. Difficulty level really raises in later levels and presents a difficult challenge for hardcore gamers. A Great Game on XBLA, Highly recommended to any platformer fan.

Having not played this game before I decided to purchase it as street fighter 2's online function is terrible. Having played through the arcade mode and multiple times online against much better street fighter players I really feel as though this one is one for the series fans only as opposed to newcomers who want an old school style beat - em up. The level of skill varies greatly online and there is no way to filter it so that you're matched with same level opponents, instead it's random and more often than not I'm paired with people who are 23 levels higher than I am :(. The actual fighting mechanics of the game are deep and the controls responsive, the parry system adds another level of depth but it will require tremendous amount of practice and time to master this game and the training mode etc do not really explain very well how to do certain moves and combos etc, and I only stumbled upon the parry (not knowing that it even existed in the game) training after hours of play. Overall I definitely think this game is not very welcoming to newcomers but if you put the time and effort in it could be rewarding, but it is a very difficult and frustrating game to master.

Ok, so being a fan of bioware and their previous games such as baldurs gate, KOTOR, mass effect etc I knew what to expect from an RPG from them, this game being very similar to Knights of the old republic in many respects I was at home with the way the mechanics of the game worked such as interactive dialogue etc. They storyline is very consuming and characters very believable, i even felt myself feeling for them at some points of the game. The combat is not real time and when leveling up your characters and others you have to constantly change their 'quick' set of moves from the menu to the more powerful moves etc so they dont keep the old less powerful ones, the menus are full of statistics and the codex contains interesting info about each important character in the quest, which helps to build an understanding of their relationship to you and the game world. Each main character is voice acted superbly and the story is absolutely convincing and draws you in in a way only bioware RPGs do. This is the best part of the game and will keep you playing as the gameplay gets a bit repetive after a while. Now the main problem with the game is the difficulty, I started out on the highest difficulty (nightmare) which of course was extremely difficult but to the point where i found myself stuck in the wilds at the beginning of the game unable to progress because i could not defeat the enemies, after many failed attempts I changed the difficulty and after a little more put it down to casual, the problem was sorted out for the most part. However the difficulty level still seemed to jump in places from being very easy to being very tough, which was frustrating. Other than that I'd say the lack of the 'light' and 'dark' side meter took away from the experience as there was no consequence to being evil and your character leaning toward a darker more sinister person. Or doing good deeds becoming a 'lighter' type of character who helps those in need. I also would have preferred the game touse real time combat like in mass effect, except of course with swords etc. Overall I'd recommend this game to any RPG fan but not over mass effect 1 or 2, which I believe along with KOTOR are the best bioware have to offer.